The Wishing Well
A girl and her grandmother were walking to the bay for a late afternoon picnic. Along the way, they found a penny.
How Capricious Local Eatery Earns its Namesake
Like many restaurants, Capricious has food specials in addition to their established menu. But Capricious specials are, well, capricious. You never know what chef-owner Christa Rummel will whip up—or how she’ll transform an ingredient into something so wildly delicious, you’ll wonder why no one else makes it this way.
Ice: A Clear Obsession
What started as dissatisfaction with the shape and cloudiness of common ice cubes evolved over three years into an opus of custom refrigeration, liquid gas handling, ice sculpture lessons, and… an unfortunate jellyfish incident we don’t talk about.
The Winged Jellyfish
In May of 2024, the original Winged Jellyfish specimen, along with a short story written by La Voliera, were carefully packed and returned to the Harn Museum of Art in Gainesville, Florida. Read the short story we wrote here.
The One of Us ♫
illustration by La Voliera — (person one)First time, ISaw you, FellFor you, justMe, or youToo of-tenI wait forOne moreSign I I-ma-gine, a twinkle in yourEye, once IBuild, the courage to sayHi, but forNow, another wave good-Bye, and aPro-mise, that one… Day I’ll cast thatFear aside, getOver it, rip theBandage off, findNothing there toShow for it, take theHand ofSome-one, that IHope isThe one, but I’mGet-ting aFeel-ing, thatSome-one isYou — (person two)First time, ISaw you, youSaw me, IWant-ed youTo come onOv-er andStay aWhile I I-ma-gine, a twinkle in yourEye, once youBuild, some courage to comeBy, but forNow, another wink forYou, and aPro-mise,...
I Call It, Bird
Image: painting by La Voliera, acrylic on gift box, 2 x 3 in I like your painting very much. It seems familiar to me. What do you call it? I call it, Bird. Just Bird? I suppose I could call it, Bird Flying. Where is the bird flying to? How about, Bird Flying Home? I like that, but it is very dark. I should add, Bird Flying Home at Night. Then why all the white around it? It is, I confess, Bird Flying Home at Night Beneath the Clouds. Look, the border! It’s now black. The clouds have parted so...
Whale Tails
illustration by La Voliera I have long loved whales. I once wanted to be a marine biologist to study whales. My father always had a sailboat, so I was quite used to weekends of dolphin pods surfing our wake, and humpbacks breaching off our windward side. I swear I’d recognize individual whales as I watched them migrate each season, and I would imagine they recognized me, too, and watched me growing up. Scientists identify whales by the unique patterns on the undersides of their tails. These patterns always reminded me of Rorschach’s ink blots, and I still believe I feel...
Perch: Light for (Your) Art
Image: from original prototype pitch deck
Dr. Sparrow’s Sommelier
Image: from original prototype pitch deck Bringing a bottle of wine is a nice gesture. Now it can also be personal. Sommelier cross-references all known information about available wines, including history and origin and even interpretive descriptions of their label designs. Just provide what you know about your recipient (or yourself), and Sommelier returns a fine selection of wine options with explanations of why each is a match. When the thought counts, get bonus points with Sommelier.
Fermata Conductor Baton Rests
Fermata desk stands evoke songs of whales swimming and diving beneath the graceful waves of a conductor’s baton. Matte black was chosen in harmony with the traditional dress code of orchestras, as well as to represent these whales as shadows—how they might appear from a bird’s-eye view. “Fermata” is the Italian term for the bird’s-eye sign (𝄐), which in English is commonly called a Pause, and signifies that a note should be held until the conductor resumes. Fermata baton stands are patiently 3D printed in small batches at a very high-quality resolution. Metal weights are incorporated into the base for...
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